Zion National Park taking comments on visitor management plan

SPRINGDALE, Washington County — Zion National Park is hosting a series of public meetings to look for ways to improve visitor experiences at Zion while protecting the park's fundamental resources and values.

Visitation to the park in 2010 was 2.68 million. That figure rose to 3.66 million in 2015, and it may exceed 4 million in 2016. This increased visitation has resulted in overcapacity issues on park shuttle buses, trails, and at key destinations and facilities, particularly in the narrow Zion Canyon corridor.

In May, the park held a series of meetings to gather suggestions on issues related to park visitation. Those observations were used to develop possible management strategies that the park could use to help balance visitor use and resource protection. Now, during the scoping phase of the process, the public is again encouraged to comment on potential management strategies.

For those who cannot attend the meetings, the National Park Service will host a webinar on Monday, Oct. 31, noon-1:30 p.m. The webinar will be open to the first 100 participants that register and will include a formal presentation describing the plan and possible management strategies followed by a question-and-answer session. Register for the webinar at nationalparkserviceevents.webex.com. The event number is 660 176 631.

In addition, the public is encouraged to comment on the potential management strategies that are being considered. Comments may be submitted on the National Park Services’ Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at parkplanning.nps.gov/zion. Comments will be taken Sunday, Oct. 23 through Wednesday, Nov. 23